Day what? bee-lieve Mixed Media

bee-lieve 6 x 6 Mixed Media

$30.  View and Purchase HERE

It has been a good creative week. I am not even sure where I am exactly in the painting challenge. Just I keep painting and loving it. 

Jacob had a basketball game Saturday and during warm up and between his two games I was able to sketch a bit. This kind of time is the best way for me to sketch and keep my creativity and drawing skills practiced.  here are a few of those sketches from those times.

These are the full two page spread. A couple Sunday sermon sketches with my notes.
 As an artist the process of creating images with my notes helps to seal the message in my mind. Similar to my paintings, I can recall if I was listening to a book on tape,podcast or music when I created it. I just take my notes in the next page of my sketchbooks. I covet my sketchbooks so my notes and list are safe there. Easy to reference back as well.  What do you do while you wait? Read,check emails, quiet your mind?

These are created with a sepia prisma micron pen and Tim Holtz distress markers in my 6x6" "Hand Journal " sketchbook.

You might enjoy this post  with more waiting sketches.

Ink and Watercolor Pencil Fushia

Ink and watercolor pencil in a Hand Journal sketch book.One of my favorite hanging basket types and two if my favorite colors. Together at that!

Sketch Journal of a waiting Taxi Driver

pickup at school Waiting at the school for pickup of the kids.

I squeezed this in on the bottom of a page where there was a bit of white space. Houses ran right off the bottom as you see here.

I did these in a quick contour line-ish attempt to keep them loose looking during a soccer practice. I love when I get a few sketches in during these waiting times. This night I got to the last page of my second moleskin!

Latest favorite shetching spot

It has been beautiful here in Western PA. Cool sleeping weather and high 70's in the day. I just have to take my chair to the front sidewalk and soak in the beauty and the calm. It is so quiet here while the kids are in school.
Did a little work on an illustration idea here in the sun.

Wheres your favorite spot been lately?

Sketchbook of Cheryl Ceol from farm show

Artwork copy right of the artist and all artwork
used with permission from artist.

One of the artist who went on the Sketchcrawl was Cherl Ceol of "Ceol Creations" in South Hills.She was so kind to share her work and her experience with us. If you would like to learn more about Cheyl and see more of her work stop by her website,"Ceol Creation" .

"I had done all pencil sketches and just the one watercolor at the Butler Farm Show.
Actually I was lucky to get out of the muddy parking lot and am still picking odd pieces of straw and mud from under my car's frame ! LOL

I loved doing the fast sketches of the animals.
The pig (Daisy) looked impossibly content and stylish with her impromptu feed bowl hat.
She was the opening sketch of the day.
The thunderstorm was a great intervention that allowed me to hang around the horses for awhile, talk with fellow storm watchers and sketch to my heart's content.... what a nice turn of the phrase 'heart's content'. Nature is very close to my heart.
Isn't it interesting that mankind decided to 'braid' a horse's tail ? LOL
Makes one look and say, hmmm, just what does the horse think about that ?
The Clydesdale from the Hunter Creek Farm was so beautiful that I regret not doing a full color painting, though with all the people around it would have been a little difficult in that area.

Gizmo, the shorthorn bovine had such a sweet disposition and warm eyes that I couldn't just walk by without whipping out the pencil and paper. The owner was very obliging, which I deeply appreciated.

It seemed that in the tent with all the birds I became a lot looser with the sketches. I imagine it was because they moved around a lot, so no dawdling allowed. Though I didn't bring a camera, I did use my phone to record the 'raucous' in this tent and snap a few pictures.

The shear to shawl was fascinating. This technique of changing a natural resource into a viable product/work of art and performed in quiet, continuous motions was so soothing. A good study of body, machine and function.

The lambs were such a beautiful serene pair. You have to love the two toned twins. There is something so elegant about their light bodies and dark heads.

Farming is so important to our nation and the 'work horses' that help feed us another interesting study. This tractor from the 2009 Butler Farm Show caught my because it was an older model. I now regret not walking up to it and jotting down some notes as to it's age and manufacturer and if possible some of it's history from it's owner. But how unbelievable that a bunch of formed metal, rubber and fluids are combined, and given a spark of life to provide a service to it's owner. What talent, engineering, and the sweat of daily use went into this piece of machinery ? There's a balance having machinery and nature interlaced for a common goal. " Hope you enjoyed! Cheryl

Just Sketchin', then the Rain...keep sletchin' in the rain...

Back end beauty

Made out to the Butler County Farm show for a sketch Crawl. It started out as a overcast day then the clouds and buckets of rain rolled in...That didn't stop us though!


I ripped down some watercolor to about 5x7 for a small clipboard I took. I placed 2 on the board and put the rest in a baggie to keep them clean and dry. it worked very well. when walking I turned the back side out just in case I got bumped or sneezed on by some goat or like.



As one was started, the cow -excuseme- steer-would move, so I started another. He would move back and I would continue on that angle. that seemed to be a good way to get something done.




Chickens on the other hand- never stop moving. Wow, anytime one chicken would 'crow' or squawk they would jerk their head in that direction. With over 50 cages in the tent- It was non stop. Good trick with these guys though you could tap on the cage with your pencil or hold your hand up and they would look at it. Then being able to direct them back to the pose. Who knew?



Fairway on the way out

Watercolor Sketchin' in the Outdoors

A few watercolor sketch attempts while out hiking at a State Park, McConnell's Mills. I enjoyed exploring with the kids. When they wanted to explore further and make fairy houses, I got a chance to sketch. As you see I just couldn't leave the color alone, had to add some ink!

Kids keeping busy with a sketch book on vacation

"
"Harbour town Light House" and "Bridge at Lagoon with alligator and Turtle" by Jacob
(this lagoon was behind our townhouse)

"Caught by Lizard" and "Little "Hermit Crab and Snail" by Jacob


"Lizard Catching Fly with little Crab"" and "Pirate Ship" by Jacob by Jacob

I bought 2 packs of moleskin Craft brown covered sketching books for the kids. These too fit in my bag I carried around on vacation with my sketchbook. I was delighted by the hit they were.

"House at Lagoon with Alligator and Turtle" and "Harbour Town Light House"by Taylor

"Mouse", "Balloon Art" inspired by Cappy Clown under the oak tree creating balloon art. "Heart person in Color" by Taylor

I pulled them out at a restaurant when we had a wait. I told them I got them to draw or write about our trip.Well to my amazement they jumped right in and got to drawing and recording the events and sights so far with the crayons from the restaurant. I later picked up crayola twist pencils (regular crayons would melt in the heat) to for my daughters finer desire for color assortment...I know shes only 7 but I can relate to this to well!

All artwork published with permission.

More art to follow from Zachary and Colton. stop back soon!

Hilton Head Sketches

Went on vacation in Hilton from the 1-11. I haven't had a vacation that long since my honeymoon 17 yrs ago! Boy was it nice to have a few extra days.With that said, I packed light for the trip. Clothes for the family in similar colors to have a washer load and well we planned on living in our bathing suits a lot. Everyone had flip flops and one pair of sandals, snacks and of course my electronic gadgets.

Sketching material- that too was light. I guess with age and experience I am learning what I really use what I don't. Also this time I didn't feel as if I let myself down by NOT using this or that material that I brought. Maybe the beach readers have similar feelings when they have a bag full of reading material and only get through one or two...What I did pack was my current Moleskin sketchbook, my small watercolor box, a water pen, 2 micron pens(.05 and .03) then my still current fave-XF Pitt pen. All the pens fit in a small bag then which I could fit it and the sketchbook in a freezer bag for protection from sand, water, wet towels,snacks... Oh I through in my suitcase the last minute a watercolor pad which I never used.As you see I had this hope of using watercolor. Not something I am comfortable with. I have the vision of what I want it to look like but struggle with achieving 'the look' I am after. I often want to get in there with my pen and can't leave it alone. It looks unfinished when I don't do it. Yet I see others that inspire me and well...as you see I quickly went to my favorite XF artist pen. I finally attempted some people too.

What I ended up with....

Tried to keep loose and suggestive.

At first I avoided doing people. Knowing the only way to get better is to do it...I began to try a few here and there. Sometime I swear it is my attitude I have in my head about it that makes it turn out better one time than another.

I had done the palm trees first at the pool the day before.I add the lady from the beach the next day to fill the page space. I started this quickly as we sat eating ice cream at the marina. With that quick start to get something down, I miss judged my size and didn't have near the room for this boat. The boat WAS a biggie though!

Again I struggled with this light house. I did like how the windows are going. I got to hot and discouraged so I wrapped it up. I do hope to come back to it and finish it from some photos I took.

These pool side chairs I added as the days went by. we tended to sit on the same side of the pool. I did one before a rain and then the next day...added 2 more the third day and another and some pool things to complete the page.

Over and over I had to remind myself not to sweat it, just be loose.All week I did keep in my thoughts to keep it loose and flowing suggestive lines. I returned to the great images in the Danny Gregory book of assorted sketchbook artist and those I love to visit here on the net.

Most of it I am happy with. But most to have these as part of my vacation memories.

afternoon at Moraine State Park